WebVetted Beta
Recommendation
Caution
Overall Summary
Suspicious
Why we think so

Hotstar.com is India’s largest premium streaming platform, offering over 100,000 hours of dramas and movies in 17 languages, along with live sports coverage. It attracts around 167 million monthly site visits, primarily from India, ranking within the top 250 globally. The platform uses industry-standard security measures like a valid Amazon SSL certificate and is hosted using reliable services including Akamai and Amazon CloudFront. Multiple trademarks for HOTSTAR exist, and the brand is recognized internationally. While the domain and service are legitimate and not blacklisted, user reviews often cite issues with billing, refunds, and customer support, indicating potential frustrations for subscribers.

Confidence Score
88%

Risk Insights

🛡️

Strong Technical Foundation

Uses multiple reputable hosting and CDN providers
Maintains valid SSL certificate protecting user data
Supports high traffic volume with stable infrastructure
⚠️

User Experience Concerns

High volume of complaints about billing and refunds
Difficulties reported in reaching customer support
Some users describe service as scam-like despite platform legitimacy
⚖️

Active Legal Protection

Enforces streaming rights against piracy via court injunctions
Involved in domain dispute cases confirming brand protection
Maintains registered trademarks across multiple jurisdictions

Contradictory Signals

While technically and legally sound, user experience issues cause perception of untrustworthiness.

Signal A: Legitimate domain with high traffic and official trademarks

Signal B: Numerous consumer complaints describe scam-like billing and poor support

Category Scores

Identity 90/100
Reputation 50/100
Technical 90/100
Content 90/100
Legal 75/100
Business Validity 85/100

Red Flags & Warnings

  • Numerous user complaints about unauthorized billing and poor customer support indicate reliability risks.

🔎 Detailed Checks & Analysis

Domain Technical and Traffic Analysis

Score: 90/100
Passed

"Infrastructure includes Akamai CDN, Amazon CloudFront, and valid SSL certificate from Amazon RSA 2048 M02."

Reason: Hotstar.com has high monthly traffic (~167M) mostly from India and uses reliable hosting and security technologies.

Domain Ownership and WHOIS Data

Score: 90/100
Passed

"WHOIS data shows multiple authoritative nameservers and extended domain validity to 2026."

Reason: Domain is registered with CSC Corporate Domains, Inc., an established registrar, with creation date in 1996 and active status.

Trademark Verification

Score: 80/100
Passed

"Trademarks cover streaming, broadcasting, and promotional services with active legal status."

Reason: Several valid and live trademarks for HOTSTAR exist owned by notable companies internationally.

Blacklist and Scam Reports

Score: 70/100
Passed

"Complaints mainly concern billing practices and poor customer service responsiveness."

Reason: No blacklisting detected by crypto scam sniffer or Google Safe Browsing; however, multiple user complaints describe scam-like experiences.

News and Legal Context

Score: 75/100
Passed

"Coverage includes court injunctions against pirate sites and resolution of domain ownership disputes."

Reason: Recent news highlights Hotstar’s involvement in legal cases enforcing streaming rights and domain disputes confirming brand enforcement activity.

Website Contact and Social Proof

Score: 85/100
Passed

"Contact emails cover advertising, support, and privacy policies with sources from official webpages."

Reason: Website lists multiple official contact emails and has active social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

User Reviews and Reputation

Score: 40/100
Failed

"Reported issues suggest internal process or customer management problems impacting user trust."

Reason: Significant number of negative user reviews report unauthorized charges, refund difficulties, and lack of responsive customer care.

Your Next Steps

  • 1
    Subscribe only via the official Hotstar app or website to avoid unauthorized charges.
  • 2
    Monitor bank statements regularly for unexpected debits and disable auto-renewal if not needed.
  • 3
    If facing billing or refund issues, contact payment providers to dispute charges if necessary.
  • 4
    Consider alternative streaming services if customer support remains unresponsive.
  • 5
    Stay informed about ongoing legal developments affecting streaming rights and domain control.

Evidence & Citations